Atlanta Hawks vs Denver Nuggets: Game Thread – (Updated) Starting Lineups, Injury Report, Series Notes, etc.
By David Menze
Josh Smith goes up to block Iguodala of Denver. (Kevin C. Cox/NBA/Getty Images)
UPDATE — Kyle Korver, DeShawn Stevenson and Zaza Pachulia will all miss the game due to injuries for the Hawks.
Korver is dealing with a sprained right big toe. Stevenson never plays on back-to-backs due to sore knees. Pachulia tested himself in warmups but won’t be able to go due to a sore right Achilles.
Scroll down to see the updated starting lineups.
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Going into Denver on the second night of a back-to-back on the road is basically one of the most difficult things to do in the NBA.
The altitude is one-of-a-kind, the opponent will run you out of the building with tempo and the Hawks played a grueling game in LA against the Lakers on Sunday night.
Sounds great, right!?
At any rate, the strength of the Nuggets is their offense as they score at an impressive rate of 106.9 points per 100 possessions on the season. They have multiple options on the court, but they go as far as Ty Lawson takes them. The Teague/Lawson match-up is one of the speediest in the league and that should be really entertaining.
The big challenge, aside from Denver’s pace and offense, is keeping up with the Nuggets on the glass. Denver is 3rd in the NBA in rebound rate (Atlanta is 24th) and they have size/athleticism coupled with the motor and tenacity of Kenneth Faried.
This is a very tough spot and Denver’s 25-3 home record is not a fluke. It’ll be surprising if the Hawks went into the Pepsi Center and won.
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Quick Facts
Who?: Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets
What?: Six-game road trip finale (Game #59, Road Game #31)
Where?: Pepsi Center (Denver, CO)
When?: Monday, March 4, 2013 – 9:00 PM (EST)
How?: SportSouth HDTV / 680 AM & 93.7 FM
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Projected Starting Lineups
Atlanta Hawks:
PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Dahntay Jones | SF: Anthony Tolliver | PF: Josh Smith | C: Al Horford
Denver Nuggets:
PG: Ty Lawson | SG: Andre Iguodala | SF: Danilo Gallinari | PF: Kenneth Faried | C: Kosta Koufos
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Injury/Inactive Players Report
Atlanta Hawks: Kyle Korver (sprained right big toe), DeShawn Stevenson (sore knees), Zaza Pachulia (sore right Achilles) and Lou Williams (torn right ACL) are out.
Denver Nuggets: None.
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Current Records/Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold
Records: Atlanta Hawks (33-25) … Denver Nuggets (38-22)
Streaks: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Lost 2 / HOME: Won 1 / ROAD: Lost 2 … Denver Nuggets –> OVERALL: Won 4 / HOME: Won 10 / ROAD: Won 2
Home/Away Records: Hawks are (15-15) away … Nuggets are (25-3) at home.
Atlanta Hawks: Lukewarm. The Hawks are cooling off from a four-game win streak, losing the last two in a row and post a .500 record on the road.
Denver Nuggets: Hot. The Nuggets are rolling, winners of four consecutive overall and 10 in a row at home. They’re virtually unbeatable in Denver with a 25-3 record, tops in the Western Conference.
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Season/Past Season Series
Atlanta travels to Denver for the only time this year in the second-and-final meeting with the Nuggets. The Hawks posted a 108-104 win in the first game (12/5) behind double-doubles from Al Horford (25 points/12 boards) and Josh Smith (16 points/13 rebounds). Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 32 points. Atlanta has dropped five consecutive games in Denver, with their last win coming on 12/6/06 (98-96). The Hawks lead the all-time series 41-35, with the Nuggets holding a 27-11 advantage in home games.
LAST MEETING — HAWKS 108, NUGGETS 104 — PHILIPS ARENA — 12/5/12
A back-and-forth first half ended with Atlanta holding a 55-51 lead which they pushed to as-many-as 11 in the third quarter. Down 85-78 to start the final stanza, Denver rallied to take a 101-99 lead with less than two minutes to play. The Hawks scored the next seven points, before an Andre Iguodala triple made it a two-point game with 17 seconds to play. Lou Williams then hit two big free throws to ice the game. Al Horford led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Josh Smith had 16 points and 13 boards. Williams finished with 16 points, Devin Harris 12 and Zaza Pachulia 11. Denver’s Ty Lawson led all scorers with 32 points. Atlanta won the battle of the boards 47-40, including a 19-11 edge on the offensive glass. The Hawks also forced 20 Nuggets turnovers (leading to 20 points), while committing 14 miscues (for 13 Denver points).
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Common Threads
Johan Petro played parts of two seasons with Denver (2008-09 and 2009-10) and Dahntay Jones saw action in 79 games for the club in 2008-09. Al Horford and Corey Brewer played together at University of Florida. Nick Van Exel played for the Nuggets from 1998-2002. Lou Williams (2005-12) and Kyle Korver (2004-08) were both teammates of Andre Iguodala in Philadelphia. Williams (2006-09), Korver (parts of 2006-07 and 2007-08) and Iguodala also all played with Andre Miller with 76ers, while Anthony Tolliver joined Miller in Portland for part of 2009-10. Anthony Tolliver (Minnesota 2010-11) and Korver (Utah 2008-10) have both been teammates with Kosta Koufos. DeShawn Stevenson and JaVale McGee played together with Washington in 2008-09 and part of 2009-10. Tolliver teamed-up with Anthony Randolph with Golden State (part of 2009-10) and Minnesota (part of 2010-11 and 2011-12). Nuggets broadcaster Scott Hastings played for Atlanta from 1982-88.
Information was used from the Hawks and Nuggets official gamenotes